Sebelius hitting up health executives for help financing ObamaCare

posted at 5:21 pm on May 10, 2013 by Erika Johnsen

Before the election last year, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius got into a bit of a jam when she violated federal law by ‘accidentally’ endorsing President Obama’s reelection at an appearance in her official HHS capacity — and it sounds like she’s once again wading dangerously close to even more questionable territory, this time on behalf of their struggling ObamaCare-implementation efforts. WaPo reports:

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has gone hat in hand to health industry executives, asking them to make large financial donations to help with the effort to implement President Obama’s landmark health-care law.

Her unusual fundraising push comes after Congress has repeatedly rejected the Obama administration’s requests for additional funds to set up the Affordable Care Act, leaving Health and Human Services to implement the president’s signature legislative accomplishment on a shoestring budget.

Sebelius has, over the past three months, made multiple phone calls to health industry executives, community organizations and church groups and directly asked that they contribute to non-profits that are working to enroll uninsured Americans and increase awareness of the law, according to a Health and Human Services official familiar with the Secretary’s outreach who spoke on condition of anonymity.

But, uhm… can she even do that?

Sebelius must walk a tightrope in asking for money. Federal regulations do not allow department officials to fundraise in their professional capacity. They do, however, allow cabinet members to solicit donations as private citizens “if you do not solicit funds from a subordinate or from someone who has or seeks business with the Department, and you do not use your official title,” according to Justice department regulations.

“It sounds like the people she’s going to are people that are being regulated by her agency, I think that is definitely problematic,” said Meredith McGehee, policy director for the Campaign Legal Center. “That’s not a statement about the value of the law, but it’s a statement about using the power of government to compel giving or insinuate that giving is going to be looked at favorably by the government.”

The sourced HHS official “described her work as well within the bounds of her authority,” but possibly extorting money from the very same people who have a very definite and vested interest in how the health care law is rolled out/who gets to roll it out? Excuse me, but does that not sound like a perfect setup for some cronyishly/government-pressured shady scenarios?

This all comes down to the fact that ObamaCare is in some serious trouble, hence why President Obama is starting a brand-new charm offensive for ObamaCare to help assuage some of the Democrats’ nervousness about the laws effects on the 2014 midterms. The president delivered a Mother’s Day-centric speech on its merits from the White House on Friday, assuring us that the law is going to take time, there are going to be kinks, “you’re benefiting from it, you just may not know it yet,” the usual.

He made his remarks at the White House alongside women and families who say they’re already benefiting from the measure, which has become known as Obamacare. The event was pegged to Mother’s Day.
“Because of this law there are millions of other Americans – moms and dads and daughters and sons – who no longer have to hang their fortunes on chance. Because we are not going to inflict that hardship on the American people again,” Obama said. “The United States of America does not sentence its people to suffering just because they don’t make enough to buy insurance on the private market, just because their work doesn’t provide health insurance, just because they fall sick or suffer an accident.”

The law, he said, particularly benefits women, including its provisions providing better access to mammograms and birth control, as well as new measures allowing children to remain on their parents’ health insurance up to age 26.

And then, just for good measure, there’s this. I can’t even talk about this.

President Obama: Being a woman is no longer a pre-existing condition. #ThanksObamacare

Blowback

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made multiple phone calls to health industry executives, community organizations and church groups and directly asked that they contribute to non-profits that are working to enroll uninsured Americans and increase awareness of the law,

I work in healthcare and we are already strapped because insurance companies, such as BCBS, want double digit cuts to reimbursements. How is that helpful to patient health? Medicaid and Medicare are crippling us.

We’re already not replacing needed staff, cutting our budgets 10% (and, no, we do NOT have automatic increases like the feds do, so these are real cuts), and expected to provide the same services. If health care executives take money away from their already thin bottom lines, your healthcare costs and premiums will go up even more.

VETOED in 2003 abortion clinic licensing, which would have raised the standards for safety for women and sanitation to at least match those of veterinary clinics in Kansas.

LINE-ITEM VETOED in 2004 a budget provision for matching grants to crisis pregnancy/adoption referral centers. NOTE: Sebelius signed it the next year to soften public outrage The pregnancy maintenance funds were restored by state legislators, but have been removed from the 2010 budget by Sebelius.

VETOED in 2005 abortion clinic licensing (same bill as 2003) despite a February 2005 death at Tiller’s and a rodent-infested clinic that kept fetal parts and open drugs in the staff refrigerator.

VETOED in 2006 a bill adding one question to the mandatory state abortion report to indicate whether abortion of a viable baby was being performed for a physical or mental health reason.

VETOED in 2008 the Comprehensive Abortion Reform Act which took steps to prevent coerced abortions, gave injunctive relief for suspected illegal late term abortions and granted women the right to see an ultrasound if one was performed by the abortion facility.

And then, just for good measure, there’s this. I can’t even talk about this.

Kathleen Sebelius ✔ @Sebelius

President Obama: Being a woman is no longer a pre-existing condition. #ThanksObamacare
3:10 PM – 10 May 2013

Honestly it reminds me of some Democratic idiot on one of the Sunday talk shows a couple of weeks ago (watched by millions) who said we need immigration reform “so Americans can come out of the shadows” and participate in society.

I’m wondering, do these people listen to what they say? Being a woman, not a pre-existing condition? What were they before they were women? Calling illegal immigrants “Americans”? If they were Americans, they wouldn’t be illegal immigrants!

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has gone hat in hand to health industry executives, asking them to make large financial donations to help with the effort to implement President Obama’s landmark health-care law.

A lot of those “health industry executives” might wonder what’s in it for them. When they find out, they just might send Secretary Sebelius back with an empty hat.

Roughly a million legal abortions a year in the US right now — 50 million since Roe v. Wade. (WOW!!! Go USA!!!)

Something like 350,000 are performed by/through Planned Parenthood each year, which receives about half of its funding from good ol’ Uncle Sam. (Those of you who think you don’t literally pay for abortions of unwanted children, please pay attention.)

According to a Guttmacher Institute study from 2004, abortions due to rape and/or incest amount to less than 1.5% of all abortions. Abortions due to health concerns (baby’s or mother’s health) counted for 12%. All the rest were done as a matter of convenience. That is to say that 6 out of 7 babies aborted are killed to spare their mothers and/or fathers the inconvenience of their existence.

Apparently, being a human baby is not enough to get coverage under Obamacare. But being a woman who wants to get rid of a human baby is enough.